1. Technical Field
This invention primarily relates to the field of two-way interactive hotel/hospital systems typically provided over cable facilities and, more particularly, relates to a method and apparatus for room status, for timekeeping and for wake-up communications.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Two-way interactive cable television systems are known for transmitting entertainment, information and data signals over a cable facility toward a plurality of users. Data may be transmitted and addressed to a particular subscriber over a separate data channel or a so-called "in-band" data channel. In a downstream direction, address control data may represent services authorized to a particular terminal or control commands to that terminal. In an upstream direction, from a terminal to the service provider or system manager location, control data may represent selections made by a user in response to a polling request or at the time of user selection.
Terminals are often manufactured with stored unique identification numbers which may be unknown to a user for security purposes. Nevertheless, the unique identification number is necessary for the system manager to enter a terminal into a system along with location related information and configuration information.
Interactive terminals generally have been equipped without the capability of locally generating a display such as alphanumeric characters on an associated television receiver. A terminal-provided display such as a liquid crystal display of a selected channel number at a terminal is inadequate for providing an effective man-machine interface for accomplishing a complicated task.
Keys normally provided at interactive terminals comprise a complement of numeric input keys, channel increment keys, volume control keys, a power button and a "buy" key. However, these keys are inappropriately labeled and may confuse the user if simultaneously employed for other uses.
An addressable CATV converter with a graphics display generator to generate signals for the presentation of text on a television screen is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,791, specifically incorporated herein by reference. Although this patent increases the display capability of an addressable converter, it does not expand the interactive functions of the converter.
It is also known in the art of non-interactive cable television terminals having a programmable read only memory to enable remote programming of the terminal. Remote programming is enabled via inputting a special code not provided with the standard remote control transmitter associated with the terminal. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,972, which issued Dec. 20, 1988, entitled "Remote Programming Of A CATV Channel Authorization Unit" and incorporated herein by reference, an installer employs a special programming unit equipped with, for example, an infrared transmitter to remotely program the read only memory of a so-called "plain Jane" converter, which is not addressable over a communications link by a system manager, nor is the converter capable of return transmissions. Via the special code, access is obtained to the read only memory into which the memory is loaded with premium channels and services authorization data. The converter is not equipped with a character generator and has no capability to locally generate character screens for display on an associated television receiver. All activities are controlled from the special code transmitting remote programming unit.
Systems for communicating room status information of buildings are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,204, describes a system for monitoring the status of hotel rooms by communicating information at low frequencies over a twisted pair, preferably connected directly to telephone lines in a hotel. Maids and inspectors can determine whether a room is clean or dirty on terminals placed throughout the hotel. Transmitting terminals are located in closets. The maids enter room numbers and an "occupied" or "vacant" status at the terminals. A main display panel displays the status of rooms once collected for display.
British patent specification No. 1,536,534, published Dec. 20, 1978, describes a computer-based hotel management system. Room status information such as vacant, vacant and out-of-service, cleaned, not cleaned, being cleaned, and ready for inspection are possible. Insertion or removal of a maid or housekeeper's key into a hard wired switch causes the status of a room to change. Morning call capability is also disclosed via an alarm buzzer connected to a refrigerated drink storage unit provided in a hotel room. A morning call request is entered into the system at a porter's keyboard/printer. When a cancel button in the room is depressed, the central computer is informed and the alarm is cancelled. If a guest does not respond within five minutes, a warning message is printed on the porter's terminal and the call is automatically cancelled.
The above systems all require specialized wiring and hardware for communication. Furthermore, they do not provide for direct communication from each room. Communication for room status and morning call capabilities is difficult because of the limited input/output capabilities of the hardware. In these prior systems, a limited display capability, if any, is used at each room. The addition of a more capable display to such existing systems would be very costly. Furthermore, these prior systems require added installation expense for connection of twisted pairs to telephone lines or for connection of hard wires to a central computer. These prior systems are not capable of communicating over existing communication mediums using little if any additional hardware; they require the addition of costly input/output switches and displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,862 describes a hotel room status information system. Portable units are connected to a telephone network to send room status data to a hotel manager or to a housekeeper display. Transmission of status data via a television antenna cable is discussed as a possible alternative to the particularly disclosed transmission by telephone line using audio frequency signals.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,944,742 and 4,360,828, discuss a hotel communication system for transmission of data from a plurality of transmitters over a master antenna television system (MATV). Transmission of maid status data over an antenna television system is suggested, yet specific details of what the data comprise or how to gather this maid status information are not explained.
There remains a need in the art for a room status/time information system for communicating from hotel rooms with little if any additional hardware over an existing communication medium having low cost, high capability input/output and a low cost, high capability display.